Lost and Found
by GinStan
Summary: DWP - AU A chance encounter causes big changes in Miranda and Andrea's relationship.


Lost and Found

by Gin

The newly designed women's section was supposed to be the height of innovation. But, as far as Andy could tell, all it was were racks and racks of clothing that didn't seem to have any rhyme or reason to them. She had glanced at the pricetags and Andy knew that she could, surprisingly, afford the clothes here, but wouldn't ever shop here, because she'd never find anything she was looking for. She gave the store a month, at most, before they would have to reorganize this section or close their doors. This 'tour' was just an obvious attempt to get a mention in Runway, without having to pay for the advertising space. The thing that confused her the most though was the question as to why Miranda was here in the first place.

"Andrea."

Andy quickly suppressed a grin as the man who had been guiding them around the large department store continued his spiel, unaware that Miranda had spoken softly to her assistant. "Yes, Miranda?"

"Find out where that incessant noise is coming from and stop it, immediately."

For a moment Andy was puzzled by the command. The only incessant noise she heard was coming from their tour guide. Then Miranda's head tilted slightly. Andy listened closely in the direction indicated and then she heard it, a soft sobbing. With a small nod, Andy concentrated on the sound and moved off to find the source. She realized, as she began to pass a large circular rack, that the crying was coming from inside the wall of clothes. Pushing aside some of the wilder color patterns, Andy poked her head through the dresses to see a small girl, she guessed around seven years old, sitting there. Her dark brown hair cascaded down over her arms and most of her legs as she rested her head on her bent knees. Thanking whatever gods had guided her that morning to wear slacks, Andy folded her legs under her the best she could and knelt down next to the little girl, "Hello."

She was startled when the little girl looked up at her. The large brown eyes were tear filled, but with those eyes and that hair, anyone could mistake this child for her own and Andy knew it. It endeared the girl to her even more than the tears did.

"hi."

"I'm Andy..." Andy smiled, "What's your name?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you..."

"Oh... right, because I'm a stranger?"

"yeah."

"That is usually a good idea," Andy sighed but didn't press the child any further on the subject, "Are you okay?" Andy smiled at the child as the little girl sniffled.

"No. My mommy and daddy are lost."

"Oh..." Andy nodded, "Well then, why don't you come with me? We can try to find them." She watched the girl curl into an even tighter ball, hugging her knees to her chest.

"No!... I... I'm not supposed to go with strangers!"

Andy jumped when Miranda's voice, then Miranda herself appeared in the small space, "Andrea, what is the problem?"

When Miranda asked a question like that, everyone knew to answer it clearly and succinctly, "This young woman's parents seem to have gone missing. However, she is not allowed to tell me her name or to go with strangers, so I'm just trying to decide the best way to find them."

"I see." Miranda nodded in approval, "That is very smart of you, young woman." Moving on into the small space, Miranda pressed herself against Andrea, but spoke to the child, "Could you perhaps, tell Andrea your parents' names? Then she could go find them and bring them here?"

Nodding at that, the little girl stood up and leaned over, pushing Andy even further into Miranda as she whispered her parents names into Andy's ear.

Andy concentrated on the little girl's voice and not the distracting softness of Miranda's hands helping to steady them both against too much motion, "Got it..." Shifting slightly to escape the small space, Andy swallowed hard as Miranda's hands brushed across her ribs, dangerously close to the curve of her breast. "I'll be right back."

With a quick nod, Miranda also shifted, settling into the small space Andrea had held next to the young girl, her legs folded under her, "We will await your return." When the wall of clothing closed behind Andrea, Miranda turned to the child. "You are very lucky."

"Why?"

"Because Andrea is the one who found you. She is the very best at getting things done." Miranda patted the little girl's shin, "I have no doubt that she will return soon with your parents in tow."

"She seems nice."

"Yes," Miranda agreed and subconsciously looked at the clothing now hanging where Andrea had disappeared, "She is very nice."

"She's pretty too."

"Yes," Miranda again agreed, this time a small smile crossed her face, "She's very pretty, too."

The child smiled, showing off a gap in her teeth where one had obviously recently fallen out. "You like her."

It was not, Miranda noticed, a question, but she answered the comment, "Yes, I like her very much."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Chuckling at that, Miranda shook her head. "Why on Earth would you ask such a thing?"

"There's a boy at my school, his name is Cameron. His mommy has girlfriends."

"Ah... I see." Miranda again glanced at the space where Andrea had disappeared then responded quietly, "No, she isn't my girlfriend. She is my assistant."

"Oh." The child thought about that for a little bit then asked, "Do you want her to be?"

Blinking at the straightforwardness, Miranda grinned a bit then pinched the girl's cheek lightly. "You're a cheeky thing."

"What does that mean... cheeky...?"

"It means..." Miranda paused then grinned at the girl. "It means you're not afraid to ask questions."

"Ah... but you aren't, cheeky?"

Moving her head as she thought about the responses to that, Miranda hedged a bit, "Well, I have been known to be cheeky from time to time."

"But, you won't ask Andy to be your girlfriend..."

"I cannot." Miranda held up her index finger and shook it from side to side. "She can't be my girlfriend if she is my assistant."

"Oh."

"It's better this way. Andrea can be my assistant. She'll take care of me and won't leave me..."

"But, what if she gets another job?" the girl asked, "My daddy has had three jobs, my mommy had two, but then lost one... and now she has a different one to go to..."

It was odd, sitting here, surrounded by clothing. The space was a bit cramped, and darker than Miranda would have normally liked, but the child was so open and sincere. This was a private space, secluded... safe. Here Miranda didn't have to put up her normal emotional walls, because she literally had a wall, even if it was just made of clothing, to protect her from the outside world. She knew that was why she found herself admitting things to this child that she would never, ever, have dreamed telling anyone else.

"I would be sad if Andrea left..." Miranda swallowed hard at the thought of Andrea moving on, although, she knew it was time for that, past time, in fact. Andrea had been her assistant longer than anyone, even Emily Charlton. For nearly four years now, Miranda had been telling herself that it was time for Andrea to move on, and for all that time she hadn't be able to let the young woman go. Every time she tried to think about finding Andrea another position, the feeling she had on the steps in Paris returned and Miranda couldn't manage to let herself experience that for too long. The three hours it had taken to get through the runway show, meet the designer and return to her hotel, to a tearful and apologetic Andrea had been more than Miranda ever wanted to endure in her lifetime. "Just between you and me? I'm afraid, if Andrea took a different job I would be a lot like your parents."

"Huh?"

Her heart softening at the confusion in those big brown eyes, Miranda leaned forward and whispered to the girl, "Lost."

"oh." The child thought about that then brightened considerably. "Hey! If she gets another job then she could be your girlfriend!"

Miranda chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm, but shook her head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, that is not a decision one can make alone. Just because one person might wish for another person to be their girlfriend, or boyfriend, that doesn't mean it will happen. Both people must agree. Both people have to want it."

"Oh..." The girl looked at Miranda for a long moment then spoke quietly, "You're nice." She smiled and stuck out her hand, introducing herself, "My name is Megan."

Miranda took the hand and reciprocated the introduction, "Hello, Megan. I'm Miranda."

"Oh..." Megan shifted closer. "I like that name."

Chuckling at that, Miranda winked and bumped her shoulder into Megan's. "Me too. That's why I picked it."

"You picked your own name?"

"Mmmm... I didn't like the name my parents gave me, so when I was old enough, I had it legally changed." Miranda waited for the next cheeky question.

"What was your real name?"

Licking her lips, Miranda sighed and told the girl, "Miriam."

Megan wrinkled her nose at that. Miranda nodded and chuckled. "I agree. Which is why I changed it."

They sat in silence for a few moments longer then Miranda tilted her head and winked. "Andrea has returned."

Megan looked up just as Andy pushed through the wildly colored dresses.

"Hey there, Megan...right?" Andy grinned. "There are some people out here that are very anxious to see you." Reaching out, she offered the girl her hand. "C'mon, you're parents are right here." Andy winked at Megan's reluctance then made some quick motions with her hands as she spoke, "I promise." She took several of the hanging clothes down to give Megan a good look at the people who had accompanied her back from the security office.

It nearly brought tears to Miranda's eyes as Megan smiled, a dazzling smile, very reminiscent of Andrea's own, sun-bright expression. The girl reached up touching the tip of her thumb on her open hand to her chin. "Mama!"

Andy didn't have to help the girl as she scrambled to hug her parents in a joyful reunion. She looked back at Miranda who was just wiping a tear off her cheek. "Miranda?"

"Andrea," Clearing her throat, Miranda held out her hand. "You're my assistant..." she quirked her eyebrows and commanded, "...so assist me."

"Oh!" Andy took Miranda's hand, trying not to think too much about how soft and warm it was. She helped Miranda unfold herself from the floor and then stood stock still as Miranda leaned against her for a moment, regaining her balance. When Miranda tried to take a step it didn't quite work and Andy immediately wrapped her arms around Miranda, keeping her upright. "Easy there..."

Indulging in the feeling of Andrea's arms around her for a long moment, Miranda steadied herself and then gathered her strength and patted Andrea's hands for release. "Thank you, Andrea."

"Anytime..." Andy cleared her throat as she released her boss, Andy backtracked, "I mean... um... whatever you need, Miranda... I'm there." She found herself speechless as Miranda's clear blue eyes locked with hers.

"I know."

"I... um... I apologize for taking so long, but there wasn't an interpreter and it took me a bit to remember my signs. The ASL class I took was a long time ago." Andy turned to their wayward friend and her parents, signing and speaking at the same time, "I'm so glad everything worked out."

"Thank you..." The woman held on to Megan with one hand and signed with the other, "Thank you, thank you, thank you..."

With the circulation returning to her legs, Miranda separated herself even more from Andrea and reached out to attract the parents' attention. With barely a glance at her assistant, Miranda signed, "You have a very smart, very beautiful," she grinned at the girl, "very cheeky, daughter."

The man questioned the "cheeky" sign and Megan tugged on his shirt, signing, "She told me it means I'm not afraid to ask a lot of questions."

He chuckled and rolled his eyes then signed, "Yes". He knew his daughter was very inquisitive and understood the implication that all the questions she asked weren't entirely appropriate. His hand, still clenched from signing yes, moved in a circular motion over his mid-section, "Sorry."

"No apologies," Miranda winked at Megan, "questions are often important even if they are... cheeky."

"Well, I have a question." The store's security manager, who had accompanied the couple back to the women's department, asked Andy, "Do you want a job here? We could use someone like you, who's so good with people and has signing skills."

"Oh!" Megan jumped up and down in her mother's embrace, signing automatically as she spoke like she always did in her parents presence, "Then you could be Miranda's girlfriend!"

"What?" Andy's eyes widened and she glanced at Miranda, who was inexplicably blushing. Refocusing on Megan, Andy also signed as she asked outloud, "Her girlfriend?"

Nodding, Megan escaped her mother's grip, ignored both her parents protests and moved to take Miranda's hand, "She wouldn't be your assistant anymore. You said you'd be lost without her, but if she was your girlfriend she would still take care of you, so you wouldn't be lost."

Andy shook her head, denying all the possibilities in that statement. Obviously Megan had misunderstood something Miranda had said during the time they'd been alone. "I think I'm the one who's lost... Megan, why would you think Miranda wants me to be her girlfriend?"

Megan shrugged. "She likes you and thinks you're pretty..." A tap on her shoulder, from her father, reminded her to sign as she spoke, especially when her back was turned to her parents. Megan nodded and signed as she asked Andy, "Don't you think she's pretty?"

Picking up on the cue, Andy took the opportunity to tell Miranda something she'd wanted to say for several years now. She signed and spoke her response, "No," she glanced at Miranda, seeing the tiny bit of disappointment in those lovely blue eyes and continued to sign to the girl, as she spoke, "I think Miranda is... beautiful."

Megan's father stepped forward again touching his daughter's shoulder to gain her attention. "Come on, Megan." He signed, "You have caused enough trouble for one day." He turned to Andy and Miranda. "Thank you again for being so kind and helping her, us."

Miranda shook her head and signed, "It was no trouble. If my girls needed help I would want someone to be there for them as well."

"You have daughters?!" Megan shifted closer to Miranda. "Do you have pictures?"

Miranda smiled. "Certainly." Producing her cell phone, Miranda turned the screen so that Megan could see. "They're twins. This is an older picture, they're nearly fourteen now."

"Awesome!" Megan looked at Andy. "Do you have kids?"

"No." Andy tucked her own phone into her pocket. "But I have a niece and two nephews, just a little older than you."

"Neat..." Megan clapped. "So when you and Miranda are girlfriends, they can all play together!"

Andy laughed and agreed with the girl, just to humor her, "I'm sure they'll all have a wonderful time." She smiled and waved as Megan's parents dragged her away. Shaking her head, she turned back to Miranda, ready to continue her day's work. The look of wonder on Miranda's face stopped her cold for a moment. "Miranda?" Andy stepped closer, boldly placing her hand on Miranda's arm. "Are you okay?"

"Do you think that's true?" Miranda asked then elaborated, "Do you think your family and mine would play nicely with each other?"

Licking her lips, Andy smiled. "Well, I don't know about my whole family, but my sister and her kids would be... welcoming."

"I see." Shifting away, Miranda keenly felt the loss of contact with Andrea. "I believe our time here is over." She turned to the man who had been giving them the tour. "You may tell Ms. Ravitz that if she wishes to advertise in Runway she may of course do so at the regular rates. If she can convince her father to increase the budget for our magazine, then we may be able to give her a reduced rate. When she and your sales people discover that this unorganized mess does not suit your shoppers and you decide to rethink the layout, let us know. It is possible at that time Runway could see fit to include an article about the renovation. That's all." Without another word, Miranda turned and began walking toward the main doors. She knew Andrea was following her, as always.

Things weren't quite so confusing for Andy as soon as she realized that Irv Ravitz's daughter owned this place. It was no wonder that Miranda had agreed to take the tour. Andy knew that her boss often did things she didn't necessarily want to do, just to appease the Chairman of the Board for Elias Clarke.

Ever the competent assistant, Andy had sent the standard, "We're done" text to Roy who had the car waiting in front of the store when they pushed through the door to the street. After they settled into their now familiar places, Roy pulled into the light traffic, heading back toward the Elias-Clarke building. The privacy window going up didn't surprise Andy, but the moment of silence after it was raised did, as did the very quiet question Miranda finally asked.

"Did you mean it?"

Andy racked her brain to try and figure out what "it" Miranda was talking about. As it turned out, she didn't have to think for long.

"Do you really think I'm..." Miranda blinked, "beautiful?"

With her heart beating so loud and fast that she wasn't sure how Miranda couldn't hear it, Andy nodded. "I had to say beautiful..." With a deep breath, Andy confessed, "I forgot the signs for gorgeous, and breathtaking." A dark shadow passed across Miranda's face.

"I don't care to be ridiculed..." Miranda turned to look out the window at the passing people and buildings.

"Oh..." Andy shook her head. "I'm not!" She bravely unbuckled her seatbelt and shifted closer to her long-time boss. "Miranda, I'm not." Taking the biggest chance of her life, Andy reached over and gently touched Miranda's cheek, turning her bosses gaze back to her. She whispered softly, "Did you mean it?"

At Miranda's silence, Andy elaborated, "Would you be lost without me?"

Andy saw Miranda swallow convulsively a few times then her heart leaped into her throat as Miranda nodded. Smiling a million-watt smile, Andy leaned closer, whispering in Miranda's ear, "I would be lost without you, too."

Miranda's eyes closed. Andrea's whispered words were welcome, and not. They signaled the end of a wonderful working relationship, but possibly the beginning of something even better. Opening her eyes, Miranda reached up to caress Andrea's cheek with the backs of her fingers. "You cannot remain as my assistant."

Smiling sadly at that, Andy nodded. "I know." She assured the older woman, "But even when I do leave Runway... I will never leave, you."

With a deep breath, Miranda nodded and smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly as she did. "I know."

Andy searched Miranda's face and gave in to what she was feeling. "Miranda, I'm going to kiss you now."

Miranda felt her entire body radiating heat as Andrea moved closer. When the young woman's full lips moved against hers, Miranda reciprocated the motion wholeheartedly, pulling a soft groan from Andrea. The tenderness of it, the amazingly sensual feel of Andrea's tongue caressing her own caused Miranda to moan quietly and in that moment Miranda knew that she was, well and truly, lost... and found.

End.


End file.
